September 2009

09/23/2009

Archaeologists find suspected Trojan war-era couple

Reuters – An undated handout picture shows the remains of a man and a woman believed to have died in 1,200 B.C. …

Tue Sep 22, 8:34 am ET

ANKARA (Reuters) – Archaeologists in the ancient city of Troy in Turkey have found the remains of a man and a woman believed to have died in 1,200 B.C., the time of the legendary war chronicled by Homer, a leading German professor said on Tuesday.

Ernst Pernicka, a University of Tubingen professor of archaeometry who is leading excavations on the site in northwestern Turkey, said the bodies were found near a defense line within the city built in the late Bronze age.

The discovery could add to evidence that Troy's lower area was bigger in the late Bronze Age than previously thought, changing scholars' perceptions about the city of the "Iliad."

"If the remains are confirmed to be from 1,200 B.C. it would coincide with the Trojan war period. These people were buried near a mote. We are conducting radiocarbon testing, but the finding is electrifying," Pernicka told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Ancient Troy, located in the northwest of modern-day Turkey at the mouth of the Dardanelles not far south of Istanbul, was unearthed in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann, the German entrepreneur and pioneering archaeologist who discovered the steep and windy city described by Homer.

Pernicka said pottery found near the bodies, which had their lower parts missing, was confirmed to be from 1,200 BC, but added the couple could have been buried 400 years later in a burial site in what archaeologists call Troy VI or Troy VII, different layers of ruins at Troy.

Tens of thousands of visitors flock every year to the ruins of Troy, where a huge replica of the famous wooden horse stands along with an array of excavated ruins. (Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Ralph Boulton)

09/17/2009

I have been inspired by the article below... there is a brief mention about Isparta, the turkish city which I visited a while ago and the place where the Damask Rose grows...have a great time reading this article becos' it really can open up your eyes to the beauty and history of Turkey

First traces of Christianity on Turkish soil

Remains around the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre

Located at the crossroads of migration and trade routes from Europe, the Middle East and South Asia for millennia now, Turkey has been influenced by a great mix of people, bringing with them not only their own culture and customs but also a multitude of religious beliefs.

Indeed, the mosaic of faiths in Turkey is amazing, even today. Surprising for some, but -- and although according to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) 99 percent of the Turkish population is officially Muslim -- there are numerous non-Muslim communities remaining in Turkey in the present day.

According to a report on religious minorities in Turkey, prepared by the Turkish Foreign Ministry in December 2008, Turkey hosts 89,000 members of minority groups, including 60,000 Armenians, 25,000 Jews and 3,000 to 4,000 Greeks.

Exact numbers, however, are difficult to establish since the Turkish government officially recognizes only three minority religious communities -- Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Orthodox Christians and Jews -- and often ignores the many other communities as well as numerous subgroups and sects. Other sources also count 15,000 Syriac Christians, around 5,000 Catholics, 3,000 Protestants and a number of smaller, undetermined communities of different rites such as the Bulgarian and Georgian Christians, Anglicans, Chaldeans, people of the Baha'i faith and the Yazidis.

This week, Today's Zaman wants to take the opportunity to have a look into the history of Christianity in particular. Taking you on a small tour through ancient Anatolia, we want to discover some of those historical locations that can still be visited and which, indeed, tell some interesting stories of the beginnings of Christianity on what is today Turkish soil. Let's have a look.

In fact, Christianity took its earliest development under the leadership of the 12 Apostles, the 12 earliest followers of Jesus. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, many of these early Christians returned to their homelands in Asia Minor -- to escape from the persecutions in Jerusalem and to bring the "good message" of the life and teachings of Jesus to the world.

Thus, it was St. Peter -- the “first Apostle” -- who in the middle of the first century settled in the ancient city of Antioch (today's Antakya) and decided to build the first Christian church there.

The church, which is actually a small cave cut into a mountain, is said to be the earliest place where the early Christians met and prayed secretly. A small tunnel inside the cave was used at that time to evacuate the community in the event of sudden attacks by their eventual persecutors. An altar, pieces of ground mosaics and some traces of frescoes have been preserved from the early period of the church. For pilgrims and other curious minds the place is definitely a must -- not the least due to a small trickle of water in one corner, which is said to cure sickness.

St. Peter, however, is said to have lived in Antioch together with another very important apostle, namely St. Paul, a native of Tarsus in south-central Turkey. Apparently St. Paul took advantage of the excellent Roman road system and thus is said to have traveled three times through southern and western Anatolia, preaching and converting as he went. Many cities (for instance Perge close to today's Antalya, Derbe and Lystra, close to today's Karaman and Konya) still remember his life and work, with churches or other memorials named after him.

Walk in the footsteps of Apostle Paul in Isparta

Even now you can walk in the footsteps of St. Paul on a stretch of well-preserved Roman road leading from the historical site of Adada towards the larger village of Yukarı Gökdere, both located in the lake district around the western Turkish city of Isparta. The walk, which takes about two to three days for an average qualified trekker, passes through a small canyon and refreshing forest, all along Kovada Gölü National Park. A must for everyone, not only for Christians.

Where another saint, the Apostle John, is said to have taken the Mother of Jesus, or Virgin Mary, to the ancient city of Ephesus in the İzmir district of western Turkey. Mary is believed to have spent the last days of her life here in a small house, known as Meryemana. The house -- the ruins of which were found after a German nun had visions of its location on the slope of a mountain in the region -- still survives today and has been recognized as a holy site for pilgrimage by the Catholic and Orthodox churches as well as being a Muslim shrine. To Muslims, Mary is sacred as well due to the fact that she is the mother Jesus, who is also seen as a prophet in Islam.

St. John, after he returned from Patmos, where he was exiled, is believed to have written his gospel -- one of the four accounts that make up the New Testament of the Christian Bible -- in Ephesus, on Ayasuluk Hill. St. John eventually also died here. A fourth century tomb was believed to house his remains, and so in the sixth century Emperor Justinian erected a magnificent church, the Basilica of St. John, on top of it. Izmir is the only official ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey. The archdiocese's mother church and thus seat of its archbishop is again another church named after St. John.

In fact, Turkey is home to all of the so-called Seven Churches of Asia, the seven major churches of early Christianity, as mentioned in the Bible. The order of the seven churches -- Ephesus, Smyrna (Izmir), Pergamum (Pergamon), Thyatira (Akhisar), Sardis (Şart), Philadelphia (Alaşehir) and Laodicea (near Denizli) -- follows a route that a messenger would naturally follow in visiting those western Anatolian cities.

A last place really worth seeing is definitely the western Turkish town of Kale (Demre), which was in early Christian times Myra, the metropolis of the whole Lycia region. The town is traditionally associated with St. Paul, who frequently changed ships in its harbor. However, one of Myra's early bishops was St. Nicholas, well known to most of us in the form of the legendary gift-giving and wonder-working Santa Claus. The church of St. Nicholas was first built in the third century and held the saint's remains after he died in A.D. 343. However, in the 11th century, Italian merchants smashed the sarcophagus and brought the relics to Bari, Italy. Today Myra is a place known for Christian pilgrimage. Some Byzantine mosaics and floors are interesting to look at -- as well as the story of St. Nicholas, of course.

09/12/2009

Many at times, the feeling of stress comes about because of negative thought patterns. These type of thinking could have been inbuilt since young, it could have come from our parents who were overly protective or pessimistic, thinking that nothing good could happen to them. We can confidently say our feelings are tied to our thinking. Think happy thoughts, we will feel happy. Think sad or negative thoughts, the same corresponding emotions will arise in our hearts. A famous proverb states : " What he thinks, he is". Today I will share on some of the ways we can employ to counteract negative thought pattern..

1) To catch hold of negative automatic thought- Do this whenever u feel yourself going down in your mood. Reflect on what were your thoughts before the feelings came. Keep questioning these thoughts with the question 'why' until you come to the original thought. Then you can query the validity of such a thought.

2) Do something contrary to the activity you were engaged in when the negative emotion came--- e.g. if you were lying down, get up and watch some TV, if sitting, just take a walk around your neighbourhood to clear your mind. If the room was quiet, play some music.

3) If you are used to be alone, try to call up some friends for a chat or invite some over to your place for afternoon tea. If you usually are an indoors person, go out and bask in some sunlight or run to sweat it out.

4) Exercise-- this encourages the secretion of endorphins and greatly help to enhance your mood, making you feel more in control of your life and jacks up your self-confidence.

5) Read motivational books and inspirational passages--- type positive statements out, print and then display them on your fridge or print them in wallet-size form so you can take them out from your wallet to read wherever you are.

I find the above works very well for me, have a go at these methods, perhaps you can share with me your success stories at how you combat stress in your own ways:)

09/09/2009

I came across the advert explaining how Chanel No 5 came about... It was fascinating and inspiring.U can log onto this add: ttp://www.chaneln5.com/en-ww/#/home My fave French actress Audrey Tautou who was the star in Amelie years ago was in the ad...Have fun and bask in the feeling of mystery in this ad.

09/07/2009

Happiness is a choice. You define how u want to be. Happiness makes people more creative and productive and it makes u a person people want to get close to.

The following are 10 simple ways to stay happy...

1. Spend more of your time with other people than you spend alone. Quality relationships offer you more opportunities to laugh and enjoy yourself.

2. Show appreciation by counting your blessings and keeping a list of the things you are grateful for.

3. Recall every positive experience you encounter during the day, whether big or small.

4. Think memorable thoughts. Memories of good times with love ones or friends last forever.

5. Be humorous. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud.

6. Release your stress by going to your perfect day in your mind. A place where you always feel calm and happy doing and being your happiest.

7. Be Optimistic. See the glass half full. Always look on the bright side of things.

8. Be creative. Use your creative inner expression. Think back to the things you love to do that seems to make you lose track of all time. Things like painting, dancing, poetry, hiking, etc. Joyful expressions brings happiness.

9.Do good. Show acts of kindness each day, however small it may be, do good.

10. Seize the Moment. Now is the time to celebrate, take someone to lunch, buy those shoes n do whatever good u wish to do.

By simply putting on a happy face makes you not only look better but feel better. Smiling actually relaxes your face muscles. When you take the steps to be happier yourself, you are far better able to make others happier too.

09/06/2009

Been thinking about this topic for a while... thru my experience and the sharing from others, I can now relate 8 simple ways to beat stress...

1) Saying "No" to people--- we want to make people happy by giving into demands that come along our way.. But there is a limit to the amount of help we can offer at times. We have to check what we manage and anything going beyond our limits, we have to let go and put a stop.

2) Exercise--- sweating it out can enhance the production of Endorphins ( feel-good hormones), improve the feeling of well-being and allow us to have more energy to manage stress

3) Sleep enough--- we need at least 7-8 hrs of sleep to help our cells regenerate... Drink milk or any frink containing milk products can help us relax and sleep better

4) Practise positive thinking--- say to yourself "I can"... reflect on your previous successes, take stock of yr relationships, your family and borrow books from the local library and jot down inspirational mesages that will bring your spirits up and enhance your self-confidence

5) Take a warm shower or bath--- the impact of the warmth from the water on your skin has great relaxation effects... somehow u find yourself being able to fall asleep more easily after a soak :)

6) Take time to breathe--- sometimes we forget to breathe, and the pent-up energy are stuck in our bodies. Find time to breathe regularly, smoothly and deeply, ensuring our breath goes right into our lungs and our chests are expanding to their fullest

7) Empty your mind after a hard day's work--- find a quiet spot in the house to sit down, speak to your family to allow you to have a "Me" time and so that you can unwind, think nothing and just bask in the silence. You can try Aromatheray, light some scented candles and enjoy the fragrance

8) If the above ways do not seem to work, at least you can indulge in your favourite food e.g. ice-cream/ chocolate and let yourself go once in a while... no worries about putting on weight. The dieting regime can resume another day:)

09/05/2009

One little known fact about sleep disorders and neurology is ... That getting enough sleep regularly is essential for optimal brain function and emotional and physical health. People will not sacrifice sleep as much as they do if they knew that chronic lack of good quality sleep prevents us from achieving our personal best at work and school, increases our risk of depression, obesity and heart disease, and shortens our lifespan.

The best tip from Dr Lim Li Ling, Deputy Director of Singapore General Hospital Sleep Disorders Unit is " Get enough good quality sleep on a regular basis- we will feel and work so much better. As a neurologist and sleep physician, I fully endorse good sleep for peak brain performance".